TEA PARTY ECONOMIST

The TEA PARTY ECONOMIST Ron Paul's original staff economist, Dr. Gary North! Friday, February 1, 2013

The German Central Bank Wants Half of Its Gold Back. The German central bankers have been pressured by politicians to demand that half of the nation’s gold be sent back to the German central bank. Senior officials at the Federal Reserve persuaded the Germans to get their gold back over seven years. Does this sound as though the New York FED has assigned Germany’s gold... READ MORE Walmart Wins, Union Loses. Walmart Shoppers Never Noticed. The union that tried to create problems for Walmart in the Thanksgiving sales failed miserably. There were pickets at 26 stores nationally. It was a complete flop. Now the National Labor Relations Board has ordered the union to cease picketing. This means that the picketing was illegal after all, just as Walmart had claimed in... READ MORE Jobless Claims Rise by 38,000. “No Problem.” The recovery is A-OK. Did jobless claims rise by 38,000, to 368,000 last week? Yes. No problem. The total number of people claiming benefits in all programs for the week ending January 12 was 5,914,983, an increase of 255,501 from the previous week. No problem. Did GNP fall in December? Yes. No problem. How do... READ MORE Suicide: The Biggest Killer in the U.S. Military In 2012, there were 349 military suicides. There were 311 combat-related deaths. Then there was this: “More than half of troops who killed themselves had never deployed from the U.S., and 85 percent never saw combat.” What is going on here? First, most suicides were in the Army and Marines. Second, there was a higher... READ MORE Liberty Is Making the World Richer. You’re Included. “The owl of Minerva flies only at dusk.” I came across that phrase many times over 45 years ago, when I was writing my first book, Marx’s Religion of Revolution (1968). (You can download it for free here.) What does it mean? Wikipedia explains. The nineteenth-century idealist philosopher Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel famously noted that... READ MORE 3D Printing: Build Your Own Guns Want to own an unregistered gun? Be patient. A build-it-yourself kit is almost here. The gun control crowd is freaking out. They see what’s coming. There is nothing they can do about it. Even the New York Times sees it. “We now have 3-D printers that can manufacture firearms components in the basement,” said Representative... READ MORE What Is Your Salary? Anyone Can Buy This Information From Equifax. So, you thought your salary was between you and your employer. Silly you. Your employer probably sells this information to Equifax. Equifax then sells it to anyone who wants to know: bill collectors, a firm that may make you an offer, or even me. I don’t care what you make. But what if I did?... READ MORE “If I Don’t Know What’s Coming, I Won’t Have to Change.” This sounds like a silly statement. It is silly. But it is almost universally held. How many men die without making a will? Millions. Why? “If I Don’t Know What’s Coming, I Won’t Have to Change.” Wives refuse to buy $500,000 of level-term life insurance on their husbands’ lives, as owners of the policies. Why... READ MORE Payroll Taxes Rise. Consumer Confidence Plummets. Congress Is Shocked. Shocked! In November, consumer confidence was measured at 71.5. Today, it is barely above 58. That is a major decline. This month, the Social Security/FICA tax was hiked on wage-earners. They are becoming pessimistic. They should. The politicians thought a FICA tax hike was a no-brainer. The economy had recovered. The decrease, which began in 2010,... READ MORE Beating Obamacare: Hospitals Across Borders You are stuck with Obamacare if you need health insurance. If you can pay for treatment, you can get treatment far cheaper with no waiting period. Here’s how. No rationing. No standing in line. I like the hospital ship idea. Get on board, sail 200 miles outside the USA, and you get cheap, efficient care. ... READ MORE